19 May 2009

Guess i should have mentioned earlier... people, this is a studio shot and NOT shot on location. One of my favorite lighting techniques... the skimming light...
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I decided to answer Paul's (see comments) question here, for the benefit of photography enthusiasts.
Q : Pray enlighten what a "skimming light" is (and how you achieve the effect) for those of us who only know how to point and shoot :)
A : Skimming light is basically light that is 'skimming' the surface. It is (usually) used to describe the light that skims over the surface of the earth during sunset or sunrise. This phenomenon is more prominent in hilly areas when the sun is rising/setting just over/below the horizon and you see the lower half of the hill illuminated while the upper portion remains dark.

In the studio, one can achieve similar effects by placing the flash light (with a snoot attached ) just above the table (imitating the sun's position) to let it skim through your surface and illuminate the elements in its way. In the picture above, if you had kept a long stick in the path of the light, you would have found that the lower half of the stick was illuminated while the upper half remained dark!

Here is a crude diagram of a studio setup. Click on the image to enlarge.

I hope this made some sense. If it did not, DO feel free to shoot your questions. I'm more than delighted to answer. But most importantly, next time you visit a hill station, make sure you watch out for some phenomenal skimming light that is happening around you. :)

A snoot is a contraption (which we can make using even black chart paper) placed on camera lights/flashes to restrict the area in which the light falls. Here is a link i found on the net on how to make one at home. http://www.diyphotography.net/diy-homemade-speedlite-snoot . Its extremely simple and can give you some dramatic effects..

Ah, thanks again. And I thought you were going to tell me that a snoot was similar to a Fnurgg only with less confibulatory quarlls. Chart paper though, that I understand. I'm at the chart paper level.